Three New Books I Recommend

Reviews of new science fiction, literary fiction, and more

Sometimes you read a book and you think this is one of the best books I've read in this genre. I just read three books that resonated with me in that way. The first is by Jami Attenberg and it is literary fiction (or Jewish Fiction, according to Amazon). It is newly out this week, but I was lucky enough to get to read an ARC last month.

Long-time readers know that I'm a huge fan of

Jami Attenberg

and her

CRAFT TALK

her on Substack. I've already written here more than once about her yearly event, #1000wordsofsummer, which was such a help to me in writing Honeymoon at Sea, and her new nonfiction book #1000words which I loved. The newest of her novels—it came out Tuesday—is called A Reason To See You Again and it's about a family.

The story is centered on two sisters, who we meet in 1971 when they are teenagers (or almost, the younger is 12). The girls were born to a Holocaust survivor who has secrets he doesn't try very hard to hide, and the wife who has cared for him for years, to the detriment of her own dreams, or the hopes of having one. The author follows both sisters through the years, through their relationships and careers, but never loses sight of the mother, a widow who eventually becomes somewhat merry. It's a story that manages to feel like an epic family tale and still be small enough to be incredibly intimate.

For those who've loved Jami Attenbergs other novels (there are a few you may have heard of, such as The Middlesteins) you'll be pleased to meet this new family. Those of you who haven't read her novels yet will want to read more.

Now, on to I, Robot Soldier by Joel R. Dennstedt. This is easily one of the best science fiction books I've read in years and it immediately jumped up into the rankings of one of the ten best science fiction books I've ever read. The two main characters, are a little girl and a robot soldier. You will fall in love with both of them. At least I did.

The plot is simple enough—getting from here to there without dying—but it has so much to say about our modern world, addressing concepts as diverse as militarization, living off the grid, and dealing with A.I. And in a larger sense, it is the story of how we could wake to find ourselves in a city that is ruined, in a world that is dead, yet we must learn to go on, to move forward, and even find ways to embrace change.  

I found myself thinking of the great sci-fi stories of our time, like Stranger in A Strange Land, and of course I Robot. The author calls this new book an homage to Asimov but There's so much more to it than that. I don't want to give anything more away. Just read the sample right here. You’ll be hooked. And I haven’t even mentioned the artwork—definitely the best art I have seen in any ebook. It’s extraordinary!

Extraordinary also describes As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back. The genre, according to Amazon is Feminist Literary Criticism or Women’s Studies—hmm…this is definitely a novel, not a lecture or a critique—unless you think that rebelling against the patriarchy is a critique of our modern society.

Anyway, a very young girl is on the run from her abusive family, and her story involves Asian travel, high finance, and martial arts, among other things. At heart, this is a redemptive story about an intrepid incest survivor and her long journey to finding a new family of friends—some of whom are also survivors—and the beginning of her recovery. It is not easy reading, but if you are at all interested in the subjects, I highly recommend it.

I am currently reading and loving How to Write a Novel in 20 Pies, by Amy Wallen, an author whose fantastic memoir challenged me to write outside the box, and who has now challenged me to learn to make a decent pie crust. I am getting inspired to bake and to write and I am definitely getting hungry! More on that book soon.

hasta pronto!